World Cup all-tournament team has a few surprises

Soccer Betting Lines

07/11/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2010 FIFA World Cup featured the four most recent World Player of the Year winners, but none of them performed well enough in South Africa to earn a spot on our all-tournament team.

Perhaps Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro, who won the award after the Italians won the World Cup four years ago, is past his prime. The others - Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka - were almost invisible, and less understandably so.

Instead, a new individual winner emerged, and you can take your pick between Spain's Xavi and Netherlands' Wesley Sneijder. It would be a miracle of one of those two doesn't win the award in January. Meanwhile, Uruguay veteran Diego Forlan played the tournament of his life, and 20-year-old German Thomas Muller reminded soccer observers of his legendary namesake, Gerd Muller.

Forlan won the Golden Ball as the top player, ahead of Sneijder. and Xavi, who settled for the World Cup title thanks to a 1-0 win over the Dutch. Muller was named the Best Young Player and also won the Golden Boot as the top scorer.

Spain's Iker Casillas captured the Golden Glove as the top goalkeeper.

In the spirit of all the recent hardware distribution, here is our 2010 World Cup all-tournament team:

Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas (Spain)

Casillas arrived in South Africa as arguably the best goalie in the world, and leaves as the clear No. 1. Spain's captain, just 29, played his 111th match in the World Cup final. Although the Real Madrid man was not as busy as some goalies, Casillas had five shutouts in the tournament and made a few huge saves to lead his squad to the title via four 1-0 victories in the knockout stage.

Defender: Maicon (Brazil)

Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals for the second straight tournament, but Maicon does not deserve any of the blame. The best right back in the world just cemented his status as one of the elite players in the world. He provided offense and defense while still exhibiting the well-known Brazilian flair, and the Inter Milan superstar scored an unbelievable goal against North Korea.

Defender: Diego Lugano (Uruguay)

Uruguay was a different club when Lugano started, as evidenced by the fact that the team gave up just two goals in its first five games with him in the lineup. In the semifinals, Lugano sat out with injury, and the Netherlands capitalized by scoring three times in a 3-2 win. Uruguay's captain is a relative unknown, but look for the center back in Champions League qualifying with Fenerbahce.

Defender: Carles Puyol (Spain)

Puyol would be confused with comedian Carrot Top if his hair was orange, but there's certainly nothing funny about his play. The Barcelona captain is one of the most steady defenders in the world, and teamed with Gerard Pique in the middle in South Africa to make life pretty easy for Casillas. Puyol scored the winning goal in the semifinals against Germany as well.

Defender: Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Netherlands)

Van Bronckhorst announced his retirement before the World Cup, and the veteran ended his career in style. The Dutch captain started all seven games, with the final ranking as his last competitive match. Van Bronckhorst notched the best goal of the tournament in the semifinals with a 40-yard blast in a 3-2 victory over Uruguay, and anchored a solid back line.

Midfielder: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)

Schweinsteiger has been a threat on the outside of midfield for years, but his move into the center last season for Bayern Munich led to his role as midfield engineer for Germany in the World Cup. Schweinsteiger made Germany forget that captain Michael Ballack was out injured, as nearly every play went through the 25-year-old, who is etching his name among the country's all-time greats.

Midfielder: Xavi (Spain)

Xavi's worst performance came in the World Cup final, but he did not play badly. Spain's midfielder maestro was impressive throughout the entire tournament and by leading Spain to its first title, may have positioned himself to take the World Player of the Year award away from Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi. Xavi was easily the biggest influence on Spain's title run.

Midfielder: Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)

Sneijder nearly completed an incredible quadruple in the World Cup, but fell a bit short after leading Inter Milan to the Coppa Italia, Serie A and Champions League titles. The World Cup title would have sealed World Player of the Year, but even if Sneijder does not win it, he is still deserving. Sneijder not only set up the Dutch offense and chipped in on defense, but added five goals.

Midfielder: Thomas Muller (Germany)

Germany's 20-year-old sensation scored five goals (on just five shots on goal) and had three assists to capture the tournament's Best Young Player award - in addition to the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the World Cup. Muller settled for a four-way tie on goals scored with Sneijder, David Villa and Forlan, but the Bayern Munich man had the tiebreaker on assists.

Forward: Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

Forlan came within inches of winning the Golden Boot when his last-second shot in the third-place match against Germany smashed off the crossbar. Regardless, the Atletico Madrid star played an inspiring tournament to help Uruguay remain in the competition longer than any other South American team, including Brazil and Argentina. He owned the Jabulani in South Africa.

Forward: David Villa (Spain)

Villa was Spain's savior in the World Cup, scoring five of the country's seven goals through the semifinals and assisting on one. Although he was shut out in the final, Villa proved his worth with star teammate Fernando Torres invisible throughout the tournament. It is nice to have Xavi and company setting up goal after goal, but Villa did what strikers have to do, and that is finish.

Substitute: Miroslav Klose (Germany)

Klose, 32, had four goals in just a little over four matches - he was sent off in the first half against Serbia and suspended against Ghana - to increase his all-time World Cup total to 14 goals. He had three goals in knockout play, and could have tied or overtaken Brazil's Ronaldo for the all-time record of 15 but missed the third-place match with a back injury.

Substitute: Andres Iniesta (Spain)

Iniesta sometimes does not get enough credit playing alongside Xavi but he did not depart South Africa without leaving the most lasting impression: the game- winning goal in the 116th minute of the World Cup final. Xavi and Iniesta work together like no other midfield duo in the world, and were the biggest reasons Spain won Euro 2008 and its first World Cup.

Substitute: Philipp Lahm (Germany)

Lahm, 26, was the youngest German captain in World Cup history and did nothing to ruin his status as one of the game's best outside backs. If not for Maicon, Lahm would easily be the starter at right back. He started at left back in the last World Cup - when Germany also finished third - and could easily step into either spot.

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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.